Summer Calendar is Here

We’ve been bringing you free classes since 2007 and we aren’t about to stop now. Check out the 2014 Summer Semester with classes like Urban Ethnobotany, Ballet for Beginners, Cheese Making, Electric Cargo Bikes, Guerilla Film Group and more.

Proponents of the Common Core always ask the question “If not the Common Core, than what?” We will put our heads together to design viable alternatives to the Common Core factory model. Where we take these alternatives- what actions we take as a result of these discussions- will be up to participating individuals and, if appropriate, the group as a whole. Please consider joining us in our pursuit of excellent education!

Astrology Learning Group

Who: Tim Turecek & Jason Seymour stars@a7xj.com, turecekt@gmail.com

When: Every Tues 6:30-8pm

Where: Crow’s Nest Cafe, above Autumn Leaves Bookstore on Commons

Open discussions appropriate for beginners to experts. Come once or every week. We start from where you are. Discover how fun, empowering, and (maybe, even) true astrology can be!

Ballet Folklorico de Ithaca

Who: Juliana Garcia jag394@cornell.edu

Where: Southside Community Center 305 S Plain St.

When: Tues 6-7:30pm 6/17 – 8/26

Ballet folklorico is a form of traditional Mexican folk dance dating back to the ancient Aztecs. Each region within Mexico prides itself on their unique, beautiful and culturally rich dances, costumes, and music. The dancers recount every aspect of life within Mexico through their tapping feet, flowing skirts or waving sombreros. You too can be a part of the stories of love, heartache, war, celebration and much more by becoming a dancer. The dances are performed in groups as well as with a partner. No previous dance experience is necessary. Immerse yourself in a new culture while getting some fun exercise! Please RSVP to join in. Classes resume in mid June.

Ballet for Beginners!

Who: Lucy “Legs” Walker 443-834-4612 lwalker2@ithaca.edu

When: Weds 7:30-9 pm and/or another day if interested

Where: contact for location

Ballet returns to the FreeSkool after a year-long hiatus! Come learn some ballet in a no-pressure environment. We start from scratch every week, so no experience is necessary, though experienced dancers are of course also welcome. And we dance to all sorts of music, so bring your tunes… Please wear comfortable clothing with dance shoes, comfy sneakers, or grippy socks.

Bicycle Maintenance and Repair Clinics

Who: Mark Thornton harmoniousdwellings@gmail.com

When: TBD RSVP please

Where: RIBs-Recycle Ithaca’s Bicycles

I’ll be hosting open shop hours and bike repair and maintenance clinics at Recycle Ithaca’s Bicycles. Located on the Corner of Fulton and Buffalo. I’ll be bringing in local bike smarty pants to host clinics on particular parts of bike maintenance and to answer questions. This a BYOB (bring your own bike) event. Space is limited so RSVP.

The Challenge of Challenge- Practical Tools for Changing your Mind

Who: Victoria Marlowe curiosity.vkm11@gmail.com

When: 6/1 and 6/7 4pm

Where: TBA

My aim in this class is for participants to become exposed to several types of positive thinking techniques. No matter who we are or what situation we are in, everyone becomes overwhelmed, or at least somehow challenged. With a shared goal of giving and receiving respect, here we hope to dig up some of our cognitive distortions and their sources which keep us from having peace.

Soft cheeses are the best way to start making your own cheese at home because they are so simple and easy! I’ve been making my own cheese for about 6 years now and continue to be amazed by the freshness and taste of homemade cheeses! I’ll walk participants through making their own soft cheeses and yogurt. We’ll make fresh yogurt, mozzarella, and ricotta! Hope to see you there!

Circus in Ithaca Play Date

Who: Ithaca Circus Community

When: Check web for updates

Where: Check web for updates

Step right up for Ithaca’s regular Circus skills play and share, Juggling, hooping, acro, poi, slackline etc etc etc. Bring equipment to play with and share, if you have it. All skill levels welcome. For updates join our facebook group “circus in ithaca”, and/or contact us via email at circusinithaca@gmail.com.

Design Workshop – Storyboarding 21st Century Experiences

Who: Xanthe Matychak xanthe.matychak@gmail.com

When: 7/12 10am to 1pm

Where: Ithaca Generator 116 W Green St.

The designer-user relationship is changing. In a hyper-connected world, technology users are much more technologically literate than they used to be. All over the web we see amateur designers making and selling logos and apps. And some of them are pretty good! So what are professional designers and developers to do? Up our game with UxD! In this workshop, we’ll discuss three concepts for understanding 21st century user-experiences: Expertise – How might we value different types of expertise in a Post-Gutenberg age? Empathy – How might we understand problems from multiple points of view? Emotion – How might we develop solutions that are not only practical but engage peoples’ emotions? After this discussion, we’ll use storyboarding techniques to put these concepts into action!

Electric Cargo Bikes: Introduction to the Revolution

Who: Laurence Clarkberg laurence@boxybikes.com

When: 6/20 7- 9pm

Where: Ithaca Generator in Press Bay Alley (116 West Green St.)

You take the blue pill–you stay in the world of traffic jams, road rage, oil spills, and global warming. You take the red pill–you enter the world of the electric cargo bike. A kind of bike that can carry passengers and groceries, approaching and in some ways surpassing the utility of a car, but without all the baggage. We’ll explore the history of cargo bikes, hear from a few Ithacans who ride cargos, see a few short movies, and wrap up by riding around downtown on some of Boxy Bikes’ rental bikes.

Free Food Preservation Workshops

Ongoing with IthaCan, check in athttp://www.ithacan.ning.com, workshops posted throughout the season. IthaCan is a web-based social network where home food preservers in Tompkins County organize food preserving events and share information.

Freeskool – Be An Organizer!

Who: Your Freeskool Organizers ithaca_freeskool@riseup.net

When: 8/10 2-4pm

Where: Crow’s Nest Cafe above Autumn Leaves Bookstore in Commons

Come be part of the behind-the-scenes of Freeskool. We’re looking for organizers to help find teachers, make art, distribute calendars and all the other Freeskool goings-on. Being part of the team means getting to know the community, learning programs like InDesign, making posters, being creative and radical. Come get a sense of what it’s all about. Can’t make the date? Get in touch and we can figure something out.

Freeskool Potluck

Who: Your Freeskool Organizers freeskoolithaca@gmail.com

When: 7/12 5-7pm

Where: Thompson Park on Cayiga St.

Come celebrate summer and free things with the Freeskool crew. Bring a dish to pass, a plate, cup and utensils for yourself. Bring friends, strangers, toys, stories about your class experience, etc. If you’re a werewolf, it will be a full moon, so just be ready for all of that. You never know what might happen at a Freeskool potluck – really we’ve never had one before.

Guerrilla Film Group

Who: Conor Liam Bolton conorliambolton@gmail.com

When: Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays 6-8pm

Where; Pegasys Cable Access Studio 612 W. Green St.

Guerrilla Film Club is a free film-making workshop. Each person comes up with an idea to turn into a short film of between 2 and 10 minutes in length. Longer projects are possible. After we each decide on our own project, we assign crew. Every member of the group must work on enough projects so that all primary crew positions are filled. I will provide guidance, production experience and as much help as each project needs. I’ll be producing a project as well. I want to document the group’s experience as a cable access show. Let’s Get Started!

Where: Cascadilla Gorge (Linn St, near Court St) Practice Karma Yoga by gathering in community to pick up garbage, share our earth-loving intentions and practice Gentle Vinyasa under the trees. If you have a yoga mat and a recycled bag to gather litter please bring them. If you don’t, please still bring yourself!

Finger Lakes ReUse invites anyone who has things to fix, wants to help &/or wants to learn how to repair items to join the Ithaca Fixers Collective. This is an informal and fun gathering of folks who want to prolong the lifespan of items such as electronics, furniture, small appliances and more, while sharing skills and resources in a relaxed setting. Sign up is not required, just show up! A volunteer Head Fixer is present at each session, however the expertise comes from everyone present, and various fixers books and websites. Check out (and like!) our facebook page atwww.facebook.com/ithacafixers.

IthaCan BBQ

Who: Mark and Brigid 781 698 9314

When: 7/19 12pm-10pm

Where: 15 Roe Rd, Willseyville

Our annual BBQ/cookout will be held at Phase 3 Farm, the home of Mark Norton and Brigid Cassidy. This is a family-oriented event, so bring the kids and lawn games.

Beef and Veggie Burgers will be provided, but please consider bringing something to share.

For those thinking about building their own house, Mark and Brigid will give a tour of their house under construction. We will review planning, execution, tools needed, and problems encountered.

Jesusians of Ithaca

Who: Stuart Fegely jesusianity@gmail.com

When: Tuesdays 7-8:30pm

Where: Ithaca Friends Meeting House 120 3rd St. & Madison St.

Jesusians of Ithaca (pronounced “Je-SOOZ-i-ans”) is a new discussion group for the greater Ithaca/Tompkins County community, for anyone interested in learning about and following the teachings of Jesus (compassion, charity, forgiveness, non-violence, welcoming the marginalized of society, etc.), but who doesn’t necessarily believe the dogma associated with him (salvation, miracles, dying for sins, resurrection, the second coming, etc.) We will view and discuss brief videos, magazine articles, columns, and blogs, and might eventually tackle a book. This group is NOT affiliated with ANY church or religious institution. Open and welcoming to adults of any age, sexual orientation, or religious background (or lack thereof). For more info, visitwww.facebook.com/groups/Jesusiansofithaca orwww.meetup.com/Jesusiansofithaca.

All levels welcome! Whether you’ve never handled needles or if you have been knitting for years, there’s always something to learn or teach! Come on down, supplies provided or bring your own, we will teach you how to cast on, knit, purl, bind-off, etc. If just experienced knitters show, then we can teach each other new skills or just connect and have a good time🙂

Loaves and Fishes

Who: Loaves and Fishes

When: Monday, Wednesday, Fridays 12-1pm Tuesday, Thursday 5:30-6:30

Where: 210 North Cayuga Street

Free nutritious meals & advocacy services provided Monday through Friday throughout the year. All are welcome. Come join our table. For 30 years, we have been building a caring community by sharing hospitality and friendship while enjoying free delicious meals.

Lunar Roots Womyn’s Retreat

Who: Collaboration of Women simoneclackey@gmail.com

When: New Moon, 7/26 -27

Where: Caroline rsvp for address

Gathering with intention to celebrate, heal, share, learn and strengthen as a community of conscious women. We will mix our day together with workshops/skill shares, hanging out, circles and ceremony. We will explore womyn’s health and well being including yoga, meditation, herbal medicine and wild crafting, fertility awareness and natural birth control, naturalist, primitive and ancestral skills, and rights of passage and creating ceremony. We will be camping, sharing meals and enjoying each other’s company in the time of the new moon. Please email or go to https://sites.google.com/site/lunarrootsretreat/ to learn more and register/RSVP.

One for Art and Art for All

Who: Lucy Walker and Rachael Lewis-Krisky rlewiskrisky@yahoo.com

When: 6/3, 6/10, 6/17, 6/24, 7/1, 7/8, 7/15, 7/22, 7/29, 8/5

Where: TBD

This class promotes collaboration and learning of any and all forms of art. Through class exercises and group projects students will partner together to create new, exciting work. Photographers and knitters; musicians and painters; poets and builders; dancers and writers will work together to transform art from separate forms into collaborative projects. Students are instructed to learn from and teach each other – a beautiful reflection of peer to peer learning. The end of the class will feature an exhibition of students’ final projects. Artist and non artists welcome. Bring all talents and discover new ones.

Park Yoga

Who: Grace Johnston grace.johnston@gmail.com

When: 6/14, 7/20, 8/17 4-5:30pm

Where: Thompson Park, N. Cayuga btwn Farm & Marshall Streets

Relaxed yoga class or skill share by the creek! This is going to be an awesome, restorative outdoor activity. Meet at the bell in Thompson Park and then roll out on the grass for a hour and a half of yoga fun. We’ll decide to do a class format or share our practice/ take turns leading at the start of each meet up. Bring a mat if you have one (a few available to borrow). All levels and styles of yoga welcome, LGBTQ friendly. Rain location TBD.

Pop-Up Paper Art

Who: Lily pipylotta@yahoo.com

When: 6/15, 7/13 2-4pm

Where: Owl Cafe above Autumn Leaves Books on commons

Learn how to make pop-up cards and crafts. We will use several how-to books to make creative paper art that comes off the page. Just a few creative cuts and folds, and viola! I will have some materials but do bring paper, cardboard, string, crayons, paint, glue stick, scissors etc. if you have them.

Running in Parks

Who: Lucy “Legs” Walker lwalker2@ithaca.edu 443-834-4612

When: Every Saturday or Sunday morning (read below)

Where: Parks around Ithaca

Runners of all experience levels welcome, people who love to exercise or run especially encouraged! Every Saturday or Sunday morning — we’ll pick a morning depending on people’s availability or we can alternate — we will meet up in one of Ithaca’s many wonderful parks. I’ll chart out a circular route so that people can rest or stop when they need to but we all end up together. All you need are some decent sneakers, a water bottle, and a desire to soak in a beautiful Ithaca summer.

Snail Mail Social

Who: Lauren Salzman laurenasalzman@gmail.com

When: 6/8 4-6pm, 7/12 3-5pm, 8/10 4-6pm

Where: TBD e-mail for location

Did you ever have a pen pal? Do you lament about the the loss of personal feeling in electronic communications? Do you long for the romance of the US Postal Service and more intimate/creative/expressive communication with far-away friends? Come spend some time decorating letterhead, crafting postcards, creating envelopes and writing to the people in your life that you hope will write back to you! Some information, stamps and materials will be provided. Please bring the address of the lucky recipient(s) of your written affection! Everyone is welcome, RSVP for location information.

Tompkins Time Traders (T3) is a time bank where services and goods are exchanged for time. Everyone’s time is valued equally, so an hour of specialized skills (i.e. dentistry, plumbing or carpentry) is equal to an hour of eldercare, childcare or cooking. The orientation is geared toward people who have applied (sign up now at: bit.ly/joinTcubed) or folks ready to sign up. Not sure, but interested in learning more? You’re welcome to come too. Orientation 4:30-5:30pm, Potluck 5:30-6:30pm. Bring your own plates, cups, utensils to the potluck. Please RSVP to info@tompkinstimetraders.net. By being a Tompkins Time Trader you co-create a new economic paradigm that values each person and the skills that everyone has to offer.

Urban Ethnobotany

Who: Adrian Williams adrian.officinalis@gmail.com

When: 6/17, 7/1 & 7/15 6pm

Where: RSVP for meeting locations

Pestos, salves, baskets, and more, all free for the making – even in the city. Explore the uses of wild plants within Ithaca city limits. We’ll practice plant identification and then get to work with hands-on foraging, medicine preparation, and craftwork, all the while discussing the unique opportunities and challenges that wildcrafting in urban and suburban settings present. Email to RSVP or for more information.

Come breathe Ujjayi Breath, lift your Bandhas and put your Dristi on the trees and sky (or come learn what all that means)! All level yoga classes, on the grass at Washington Park. Please bring a yoga mat if you have one, though a mat is not required. Namaste.